Bio-active Compounds and Their Synthetic Pathway

Traditional European medicine has attributed to globe artichoke, as well as to its close relatives cultivated and wild cardoons, many beneficial properties to treat chronic liver diseases, jaundice, hepatitis and arteriosclerosis. Indeed, globe artichoke is a source of bio-active compounds, such as caffeoylquinic acid derivatives (chlorogenic acid and dicaffeoylquinic acid isomers) and sesquiterpene lactones, such as cynaropicrin, grosheimin and its derivatives. Furthermore, globe artichoke roots are rich in inulin, a natural fibre which has been demonstrated to improve the balance of beneficial bacteria in the human gut and it is widely used in food industry to modify texture, replace fat or as low-calorie sweetener. This chapter describes the main bio-active compounds present in globe artichoke as well as their pharmacological properties and potential applications. Furthermore, it reports an updated state of the art on the known steps of their biosynthetic pathway and characterization of genes involved.